National Insurance Institute of Israel

Forests of Central Africa and the Congo Basin are a key component of the water security of local communities and economies. However, forests are mostly valued due to their mitigation potential and as part of net-zero discourse prioritised by global processes such as COP (WWF, 2025). Here we seek to demonstrate the important role regional forests can play through a water lens.This comparative study explores the under-studied mechanism of evapotranspiration as a driver of rainfall onset in Central Africa and the Congo Basin. This is often assumed to be weak as evapotranspiration is relatively high throughout the year (Cook & Vizy, 2022). We test whether this is actually the case by following the rainforest-initiated shallow convection moisture pump for the onset of Amazon rainfall from (Wright et al., 2017). While both are key sites of tropical convection and moisture recycling there are indications that the rainfall dynamics in these two forested regions are quite different and have very different moisture recycling characteristics (Wunderling et al., 2022). Along with initiation we also investigate wet season maintenance and calculate moisture recycling through climatological and wet/dry composite seasons and examine three latitudinal bands spanning Central Africa and the Congo Basin with different vegetation characteristics.We show that latitude bands in Central Africa have different moisture recycling climatologies by calculating precipitation moisture recycling using a bulk moisture recycling model driven by ERA5 reanalysis. While this partitions rainfall from local and remote moisture sources, to partition atmospheric moisture we use measurements of isotopologues in vapor from satellites including the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), TRopospheric Ozone and its Precursors from Earth System Sounding (TROPESS) and the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) to contextualise the seasonal recycling signal with changing levels of transpired moisture in the mid- to lower-troposphere. We use Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Sentinel-3 to track evapotranspiration, and Sentinel-3 Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) and leaf area index (LAI) as measures of forest primary productivity and improved vegetation health. We also use atmospheric fields from ERA5 reanalysis that show evolving stability, convergence and moisture availability. This study supports a more holistic understanding of rainfall in Central Africa and how forests are linked with the local climate system by testing mechanisms linking vegetation and rainfall dynamics This is invaluable information for those wanting to protect the forest or understand how local rainfall and forest change might be linked in a changing climate.This work is part of Forests For Resilience, an EO Science for Society project funded by the European Space Agency.

The determination of whether occupational exposure contributed to disease in an individual worker is a key element in occupational disease adjudication, particularly within public insurance systems such as that of Israel. At present, such assessments often rely on expert judgment grounded in clinical intuition rather than on structured, reproducible inference.This paper proposes a structured epidemiological approach to individual causal attribution, integrating population-based evidence with case-specific analysis. The framework is organised into four analytical stages: appraisal of causal capacity, quantitative estimation of association, individualised causal partitioning, and probabilistic legal interpretation.Israel’s hybrid medico-legal system offers a suitable setting for piloting this approach. Embedding structured epidemiological reasoning into occupational disease adjudication may enhance transparency, scientific integrity, and consistency, thereby strengthening fairness and public trust in compensation decisions.

Understanding escape behavior in cryptic and venomous reef fishes is critical for both ecological theory and public safety in coastal environments. We quantified the Flight Initiation Distance (FID) of 65 individual stonefish (Synanceia spp.) across four public beaches in Eilat, Israel, between March and May 2025. Initial Identification Distance (Initial ID) ranged from 0.5 to 3.5 m, whereas FID was consistently short (0.0–0.6 m), with 62% of individuals (n = 40) showing no flight response. Logistic regression revealed that the probability of fleeing was positively predicted by Alert behavior (p = 0.005), while Initial ID and site were not significant. Among individuals that did flee (n = 25), FID remained short and showed no significant spatial variation. A linear model confirmed Alert as the only positive predictor of FID (p = 0.045), while other variables were non-significant. These findings demonstrate that stonefish predominantly rely on crypsis and venom rather than active escape, resulting in minimal or absent flight responses. This lack of FID highlights their unique defensive strategy among reef fishes but also increases the risk of accidental human envenomation in areas of high recreational activity. Monitoring FID patterns may serve as a behavioral indicator of anthropogenic disturbance, while also informing conservation and public safety strategies in urban reef environments.

Plain Language Summary This study looked at how bioremediation – a process that uses microorganisms to break down pollutants – can clean up coastal sand contaminated with fuel. Over 106 days, the amount of petroleum hydrocarbons in the sand dropped dramatically, from 5,753 mg/kg to just 37 mg/kg, a reduction of about 98.21%. This final level is well below the safe limit of 100 mg/kg set by Israel’s environmental authorities, showing that the cleanup was successful. Most of the pollution was removed within the first 48 days, emphasizing the importance of good conditions, like proper aeration, to support microbial activity early on. These findings suggest that bioremediation is an effective way to restore polluted coastal areas and could be used more widely to reduce oil pollution in marine environments.

BackgroundThis study evaluates the impact of a diabetes specialist nurse intervention on clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization among patients with diabetes.MethodsA cohort of 452 patients was observed from 2019 to 2022. Clinical metrics such as HbA1C levels and BMI, as well as healthcare utilization patterns, were analyzed before and after the intervention. The intervention was conducted mostly during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsThere was a modest reduction in HbA1C levels, though this change was not statistically significant. Remote visits to primary care physicians increased significantly, reflecting a shift towards telemedicine. The intervention did not significantly alter BMI values, which remained stable despite the aging cohort and progression of the disease. However, In-person visits showed a slight decline, while Diabetes specialists and endocrinologist visits remained unchanged. Annual healthcare costs per patient increased post-intervention.ConclusionsThe diabetes specialist nurse intervention positively impacted glycemic control and healthcare utilization, particularly through increased remote consultations. Despite higher healthcare costs, the intervention improved access to care and patient engagement. Further research is needed to assess the long-term sustainability and cost-effectiveness of such interventions.

This article highlights the importance of anthropology in special education, particularly its ability to provide a deep understanding of the needs of students with disabilities by examining the cultural and social backgrounds that influence their educational and social development. The application of anthropology in this context relies on analyzing cultural differences that shape students' learning processes, enabling teachers to use flexible teaching methods that take these differences into account. Anthropology's application helps improve social interaction between students and teachers and enhances students' ability to adapt to the learning environment. The significance of anthropology lies in its ability to support interactive teaching methods, culture-oriented education, and activity-based learning, which strengthen both motor and cognitive skills. Despite the numerous benefits, the application of anthropology in special education faces several challenges, such as a lack of specialized training and difficulty in providing appropriate educational resources. Nevertheless, the opportunities offered by anthropology remain substantial and can contribute to improving educational outcomes for students with special needs

In this study, the researchers explore and contrast climate change awareness in the urban and rural populations by looking into their knowledge, perception, and engagement. Using a structured survey instrument, data were collected from 500 respondents irrespective of age gender location and with equal distribution. Results indicate awareness differences, with urban respondents being more informed on the causes of climate change than the rural respondents who were more aware of the effects in their immediate environment. From the results, it can be concluded that any attempts in marketing climate change strategies needs to be targeted to the respective areas of the two groups studied. This emphasizes how critical educational and outreach programs geared towards climate change issues in specific regions are.